Women take center stage a local film fest

By: Julie Farren, Special to Community Forward Redlands

REDLANDS, Calif. – The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Redlands branch will celebrate women in film with a Film Fest on Friday, April 25, at the ESRI auditorium in Redlands.

The event will spotlight a curated selection of short films written and directed by women, with female leads in starring roles. While the film titles remain under wraps, organizers say the selections have screened at prestigious festivals, including Sundance.

The evening will begin with a reception at 5:45 p.m. in the ESRI Café, featuring hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. Screenings will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the ESRI auditorium, located at 380 New York St. in Redlands. Tickets are $50 per person.

Film Fest coordinator Kathryn Brown said the Redlands event has its roots in a one-time Luna Fest hosted 20 years ago by the Zonta Club and AAUW. After the Zonta Club closed, the festival was shelved—until AAUW revived it last year.

This year’s festival has expanded to feature eight short films, all of which were screened by a selection committee. Genres include documentaries, animated works, and horror-comedy. The filmmakers hail from California—including the Bay Area—as well as other countries, and represent a range of ages and backgrounds.

Film Fest serves as a fundraiser for AAUW Redlands Branch to provide scholarships, STEM education and empowerment for local girls and women.

Proceeds are used for our Speech Trek competition, high school scholarships, National Conference for College Women Student Leaders scholarships, Nancy Yowell Memorial Scholarships for women returning to college after an interruption, voting registration activities and outreach to local colleges and universities.

All films are appropriate for viewers ages 13 and older.

Tickets available here.

This article was originally published 03/25/2025 at 17:16. It was updated on 03/30/2025. CORRECTION: There was a date error in the sub headline. The event is scheduled to take place on April 25, not April 15. We regret the error.